One Heart
by BoozedBoy
Summary: The gang grow concerned as Rachel shows signs of illness. In her time of need will they all be there for her?
1. Why hadn't she realised sooner

**One Heart:**

This is my first draft, so apologies for any spelling, punctuation errors. I have more of this on my computer but I'm trying to break it down into chapters so it isn't overwhelming. I'm not a doctor and have no clue about the medical terms I am using but I tried to make them sound as realistic as possible! Hopefully you will enjoy and let me know your thoughts. P.s – if anybody wants to take this to make some changes or put their own spin on it then please be my guest…

**Disclaimer: I do not own Friends in anyway what so ever.**

Monica and Chandler are married. Ross is dating Charlie, Phoebe is dating Mike and Rachel and Joey are both single. Rachel lives alone as does Joey.

Everybody minus Rachel is outside the movie theatre.

"If she doesn't hurry up we are going to miss the movie" Ross whined to everyone

"She still isn't answering so we will have to go in" Monica said as she hung up her cell phone.

The group headed inside as Monica took one final look around for her friend.

Once the movie was over the gang decided to head to Central Perk for a coffee.

"Guys, I think I'm going to check on Rachel" Monica said trying to hide her concern for her absent friend.

"Okay babe, you want me to come with you?" Chandler asked.

"No, it's okay. I'll see you at home" Monica replied as she kissed him goodbye.

As the gang headed inside Monica made her way to Rachel's apartment block. Rachel lived opposite her and Chandler in the penthouse apartment in Ross' block. Monica let herself in the building and Rachel's apartment with her key.

"Rach?" Monica called as she cautiously entered.

Monica looked around for a bit and saw Rachel's cell phone and purse on the kitchen table. Monica felt panic in her stomach. "Rach, are you here?" she called again.

Monica walked to her bedroom and sighed in relief as she saw Rachel sleeping on her bed. She walked over to her and gently woke her up.

"Rach, are you okay?" She softly said as Rachel squinted finding herself.

"Yeah, what's going on?" She replied confused.

"We were supposed to be going to the movies" Monica stated hoping to jog Rachel's memory.

"Oh God! Let me just get changed and I'll be ready" Rachel said sitting up.

"It's 10:30 – we saw the movie without you" Monica told her.

Rachel looked wide-eyed. "I came home and must have crashed out. I'm really sorry"

"That's okay sweetie. I just wanted to make sure you were okay"

"I'm fine. Do you want a coffee?" Rachel asked getting up.

"A tea would be good. I don't want to be awake all night"

Monica and Rachel chatted for a while before Monica headed home. When she entered her apartment Chandler was sitting on his couch in his pyjamas reading.

"Everything okay with Rachel?" He questioned.

"Yeah, she just crashed out. She doesn't really seem herself though" Monica said more to herself than Chandler.

However, Monica dismissed the thoughts as quickly as they came into her head. Rachel had a very stressful job at Louis Vuitton. She put in long hours but reaped a lot of benefits for it, which had come in handy when Monica recently had to borrow 10,000. She hated asking but Chandler was struggling with his internship at the advertising company and her wages didn't cover their expenses. Rachel had written her cheque without batting an eyelid and told her that she would happily write as many cheques as she needed.

It was a couple of weeks later when Phoebe was alerted to the fact that Rachel wasn't herself. Rachel had missed a lunch date with Phoebe so Phoebe headed to her apartment banging on the door. She was greeted with a bleary-eyed, pale Rachel.

"Rachel Karen Green what is going on? I have been sitting at Café Italy for almost an hour!" she barked.

"Oh My God Phoebe I am so sorry. I fell asleep"

"Again? You are always asleep!"

"I'm sorry, I was working all night" Rachel lied, she hadn't been working all night but she didn't know what was wrong with her. She was exhausted constantly and it was beginning to worry her.

"Let me just grab my stuff and we can go eat" Rachel said inviting Phoebe in.

Phoebe walked into Rachel's luxury apartment and waited for her friend. After 10 minutes Rachel was ready. They walked down to Café Italy and by the time they got there Rachel was exhausted. As soon as they were seated Rachel asked for a glass of water, rather breathless.

"Are you okay?" Phoebe asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Rachel lied again.

Rachel struggled throughout the meal; she wasn't hungry and felt sick to her stomach. She tried to keep up the act and pretend everything was normal. Once lunch was over Phoebe wanted to go shopping but Rachel made up a work excuse and headed home in a cab.

After a few more days of feeling like crap Rachel finally gave in and succumbed to her fear of doctors. She was going to ask Monica to come with her but decided against it knowing that Monica would go into full 'controlling and nurturing' mode.

The doctor examined Rachel and put her tiredness down to a 'probable iron deficiency', however to be on the safe side he sent her to St. Vincent's for a series of tests.

Rachel felt relieved that she only had iron deficiency; she had been imagining the worst. As the next couple of days wore on she began taking the prescribed medication and she did feel better. She told the gang about her diagnosis and they were all pleased that she had sought help. Monica moaned that Rachel should have taken her to the doctors with her so Rachel failed to mention the hospital tests that she was taking in a couple of days.

Rachel had her Louis Vuitton driver take her to the hospital where they performed test after test. She was exhausted after the end of it, blood tests, urine samples, EKG checks, brain scan, heart scans – a full body servicing.

The next morning Rachel was getting dressed for work when the house phone rang, She answered it and was surprised to hear her doctor on the other end of the phone.

He told her that he had her test results and would be grateful if she could head to his office immediately.

"Is everything okay?" She asked startled.

"If you could come down, we can discuss it face to face" He replied.

Rachel hung up the phone and hesitated about calling Monica for support. However, she decided against it and opted to face this alone.

When she reached the doctors office she was taken straight through to Dr. Andrews. He greeted her and told her to take a seat. Without realising it Rachel just blurted out "Is it cancer?"

"No, you don't have cancer" Dr Andrews replied sitting behind his desk.

Rachel felt a rush of relief run over her.

"Your test results have come back and shown an abnormality with your heart. You heart is twice the size it should be and the cells around it are dying off."

Rachel looked confused.

"Your heart isn't beating as it should, which is caused by a lack of oxygen pumping through. This is mainly the cause of your tiredness and shortness of breath"

"So, this can be fixed right or is it something that I live with?" Rachel questioned.

"Rachel, you have a rare form of heart disease, dilated cardiomyopathy. I can prescribe medication for the short term which will slow down the process but ultimately you will need a heart surgery – possibly a heart transplant.

Rachel looked on it shock, unsure of whether she heard him correctly.

"I need a heart transplant? That's impossible, I'm just tired. People who need heart transplants are seriously sick, hooked up to oxygen tanks and ventilators"

"Rachel you are in the early stages of heart disease but it is a progressive illness. In 6 months to a year you could be facing that possibility. Now there is a procedure that we could perform which would shrink your heart back down to its normal size and help with the blood flow through your heart but we are talking open heart surgery"

Rachel just looked dazed which the doctor picked up on.

"I know this is a lot to take in right now. My suggestion is to begin taking the medication, get your head around this and we will talk in a week and discuss all options"

Rachel thanked the doctor and left. She walked for ages, just in a daze at the news she had been given. She felt like sobbing, like breaking down and crying and never getting up having to deal with this.

She decided that she needed to talk this over with somebody. Somebody who would take care of this situation and make it all go away. The person who would comfort her and reassure her that she would be okay. That person was of course Monica.

Rachel walked into the apartment and found Monica on top of her sideboard cleaning the tops of the cupboards.

"Hey sweetie" She greeted merrily.

"Hey" Rachel managed back.

"Could you hand me that disinfectant?" Monica asked not paying that much attention to Rachel's sad form.

Rachel handed her the bottle. "Do you have a minute to talk?"

"Sure, you will have to be quick though I have to get this whole kitchen clean before I head to the restaurant" Monica quickly replied.

Rachel just stood still, unsure of how to form the words.

"Rachel what is it?" Monica said getting frustrated at the top of the cupboards. She figured Rachel would need to talk about some date from hell, or the work day from hell.

Rachel snapped out of her daze and looked at Monica. "Nothing, it's nothing. I'll be fine. I'll catch up with you later" Rachel said as she headed out of the door.

Monica looked at Rachel and could tell that she had something serious on her mind. Her face was pale and she looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. "Rach" Monica called out as she jumped down from the sideboard onto a chair.

Monica ran into the hall and caught up with Rachel before she hit the stairs.

"Rachel, what's going on?" Monica asked concerned.

"I…. I have…. Look lets talk about this when you have time" Rachel said dismissing her and trying to get out of the situation.

"I always have time for you. Now come inside and talk" Monica said sweetly.

Monica sat Rachel down on the couch and noticed that Rachel was shaking.

"Okay, you need to tell me what's going on because I'm starting to freak out" Monica said holding her hand.

"It's not as bad as…. Okay, so I had to go to the hospital for a series of tests…."

Monica's stomach flipped over. Why had she been so stupid? Rachel had been sick for weeks, months even and she ignored it. Why hadn't she taken her best friend to the doctor when she first became concerned?

"The doctor called this morning and asked me to go down and as it turns out I have heart disease" Rachel felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders once she told Monica.

Monica just looked at her confused. She had been waiting for the word cancer to come out of Rachel's mouth.

"How can you have heart disease? You're 24 years of age" Monica said in an almost accusing way.

Rachel just lightly shook her head. Monica could see the fear in her younger friend's eyes so decided to take control of the situation and spin a positive light on it. She would research and worry later.

"Okay, so you have heart disease. This can be controlled by medication right? My dad's friend has heart disease, he takes Beta Blockers and lives a pretty normal life"

Rachel sat almost scared of Monica's reaction. "I have a rare form of heart disease, it's really progressive. My heart is twice the size it should be and I need surgery soon and then they are talking heart transplants"

Monica's heart sank. She couldn't get her head around her best friend needing a heart transplant.

Rachel sat looking at Monica taking in the information and she saw the fear and worry in her face, something that was almost non-existent. Once Rachel saw that Monica was scared she broke, the tears started to fall from her eyes. Monica quickly realised that she wasn't helping the situation and took her friend in an embrace.

Monica held Rachel and stroked her hair. "This is going to be okay Rach. I promise you. I'm here and we're going to sort this out together". She soothingly whispered into her ear.

After a couple of minutes Rachel composed herself and pulled back from Monica.

"I'm okay" She said finding her inner strength.

Practical Monica took over and she decided that she needed to know all the facts before she drew up her plan.

"Okay, you need to tell me exactly what the doctor said. How are we going to deal with this?" Monica asked her

Rachel went through exactly what the doctor had said and the tests she had at the hospital and showed Monica the prescription the doctor had given her.

"This is what we are going to do. I'm going to go and get this prescription for you and then go to your apartment and get your stuff so you can move in here…"

"No Mon, I don't want to change everything. I need to keep this as normal as possible. I need to stay at my own place and work…"

"Rachel, you can't work!"

"Monica please" Rachel almost begged.

Monica knew that she was becoming overpowering and wanted to keep Rachel as calm as possible.

"I'm sorry. Let me go and get your prescription and then we will take things from there" Monica needed to clear her head, she needed to get away from Rachel so she could cry.

"I'll come with you" Rachel said standing up.

"Why don't you stay here and rest?" Monica offered.

"Please don't treat me like I'm dying Monica"

"I'm sorry"

The two of them headed down to the nearest pharmacy and picked up Rachel's prescription. Monica felt on edge the whole 10 minute journey, she knew that it wasn't going to happen because Rachel had been sick for a while but she felt like she was going to collapse and not get up again.

Once they collected the medications they headed back to Rachel's apartment. Chandler was due home for lunch and Rachel didn't feel like seeing anybody. When they reached Rachel's apartment Rachel sat down on the sofa whilst Monica read her medication instructions. She had an inhaler which she was to use as and when she felt breathless, a blood thinning medication to be taken twice daily and Clorocine to be taken 4 times daily.

After a few minutes of silence Rachel looked at Monica.

"What am I going to do?" She almost begged.

"You're going to get through it. I'm going to come to your doctor's appointment on Friday and we are going to discuss every option and treatment and we are going to be okay. If it's a heart transplant that you need then we will get you on the list and search the God damn country until we get the best one available."

Rachel laughed. Only Monica could make a heart transplant list into a competition. Monica and Rachel hung out all day and Rachel felt better having her around.

At 7.00PM Monica looked out of Rachel's window and saw her friends sitting in her apartment with Chandler. She wished that she could be there not knowing what she knew. Monica looked at Rachel who was dosing on the couch. She walked over to her and knelt down.

"Hon, the guys are over the road, we should tell them" She softly suggested.

Rachel nodded and begun to get up.

"If you want to stay here then I can tell them?" Monica offered.

"No. I should be there"

Monica and Rachel headed over the road and walked into the apartment to be greeted by Ross, Chandler, Phoebe, Joey and Charlie.

"Are you okay?" Chandler asked Monica concerned.

Monica tried to dismiss him and tell him that she was fine but he continued.

"I thought you had died when I came home and all the cupboards were in a mess. You would never leave the kitchen in this mess unless somebody had died" He stated.

Monica wished that the floor would open up and swallow Chandler whole! The last thing on her mind was her damn cupboards.

Rachel just smiled because she knew Chandler was right.

"Guys, could we all sit down. Rachel and I need to talk to you" Monica said taking control of the situation.

"Oh My God! You're lesbians and you're leaving Chandler!" Joey stated excitedly

Monica looked mad but when she saw Rachel laughing she smiled aswell. The guys all sat on the couch as Rachel sat on the armchair. Monica sat on the arm next to her.

Rachel knew that once she told everybody it became real. They would no longer look at her like Rachel but an invalid.

"So, what's going on?" Ross asked urging one of them to speak.

Monica knew that Rachel wasn't going to say anything so she began.

"You guys know how Rachel hasn't been well lately and she went to the doctors. Well she had her results back and it turns out that she has a heart condition" Monica explained.

"What kind of heart condition?" Phoebe asked

Monica took Rachel's hand as she continued.

"It's heart disease"

"That's impossible!" Ross stated. "You're too young for heart disease"

"It's a rare form" Monica told him.

"So what happens now?" Chandler questioned

"Well, we're going to the doctors office on Friday and we are going to discuss all treatments available and then we will take it from there" Monica said matter of factly watering down the truth.

"So, you're going to be okay then? It's not really anything too worry about?" Joey said hoping to wash over this and pretend it isn't real.

"Of course it's something to worry about!" Phoebe exclaimed "Millions of people die from this every year!

"Phoebe!" Monica scolded.

"I'm sorry" Phoebe said forgetting that Rachel was in the room. "I don't mean that you are going to die Rach. I meant old people, sick people"

"I am sick Phoebe. This isn't going to get any better, its only going to get worse over the next few months and they think that a heart transplant is my only option" Rachel told everybody deciding to give them the full facts.

Everybody sat in shock.

"We will all get tested Rachel" Joey enthusiastically told her

Rachel smiled at him "thanks Joe, but I think you need your heart"

It took him a while to understand but he finally got it.

"Are you okay?" Charlie finally said breaking the silence.

"Yeah. It took a minute to get my head round but I'm fine"

"Look Rachel is going to be okay. That isn't debatable. But she is going to need a lot of love and caring and that's what we're here for" Monica said trying to break everybody out of their thoughts.

"You're right" Chandler said standing up and pulling Rachel up into a hug. The others followed suit and all hugged her one by one. Monica sat on the couch biting her bottom lip and brushing Chandler away as he tried to comfort her. If she let go she would sob uncontrollably and never stop and she didn't want to do that in front of Rachel.

The gang hung out for an hour until they all decided to head home.

"You want me to stay over?" Monica said walking over to Rachel as she helped her with her coat.

"No, I'm fine. I need some time alone. But thank-you for today" Rachel said squeezing her hand.

"I'll grab my coat and walk you over" Monica said

"I can walk with Ross and Charlie"

"I'll make sure she gets home Mon" Ross told her.

"Okay, call me if you need me and take those medications when you get in" Monica told her.

The gang all said goodbye and Monica closed the door. Before Chandler had a chance to say anything Monica began.

"Please don't be nice to be. Just let me deal with this"

Chandler knew that Monica was close to breaking but she was holding it together for Rachel's sake. So he watched as she grabbed her laptop and went online. He had no doubt that she was typing Heart Disease into Google.

It took about 10 minutes of Monica surfing until she finally broke. She sobbed uncontrollably. Chandler walked behind her and pulled her into the hug she had needed all day long. Chandler knew his role in this whole thing. Monica would be there for Rachel 200 and he would be there for Monica, picking up the slack and letting her cry late into the night letting out her biggest fears.

"I can't lose her Chandler" Monica sobbed into his chest.

"You won't. Rachel is a fighter and she will be fine"

"Heart surgery carries one of the highest fatality risks"

"You shouldn't be looking at that stuff. Rachel is going to be fine." He tried to reassure her.

"It says that on-line that the majority of people with heart disease die within 3 years of diagnosis. If she goes into congestive heart failure she could just drop dead…"

"Monica stop" Chandler interrupted. "You can't worry about something that will never happen. You can't compare this to anything else, we need to see what the doctor says and take it one step at a time".

"Thank-you" Monica told him as she hugged him closely.

Monica cleaned her kitchen and headed to bed about an hour after Chandler. Rachel's lights were off which Monica was pleased about. She prayed that Rachel got a good night's sleep. Monica on the other hand couldn't. She slept for about 2 hours and was then wide awake, her mind racing with endless possibilities.

"Try and sleep Mon" Chandler told her as he stirred.

"I'm sorry if I woke you" She told him.

"Monica sitting here worrying isn't going to help. You need to get your rest so that you stay strong for her"

"When she told me she was sick and had heart disease, my initial reaction was relief. I thought that she was going to tell me that she had cancer. I was convinced. So when she said heart disease I felt relieved. Does that make me an awful person?"

"Monica of course it doesn't. The only person Rachel wants throughout this whole thing is you".

By 5.00AM Monica gave up and got out of bed. Chandler was snoring lightly next to her and she didn't want to disturb him further. She looked out of her window and saw that Rachel's place was still in darkness. She considered going over to her to check she was okay but she remembered that Rachel wanted everything kept as normal as possible.

By 7.00AM Chandler was up and dressed for work and Monica couldn't hold back any further. She picked up the phone and called Rachel.

"Hello?" Rachel answered.

"Hey, I didn't wake you did I?" Monica quickly asked.

"No, I'm just getting ready for work"

Monica was going to ask Rachel to stay home but she felt that she needed to let her carry on as normal for as long as possible.

"How did you sleep?" She asked.

"Good. I feel a bit nauseous this morning but I'm guessing that's the tablets?" Rachel told her.

"Yeah, that was down as a side-effect. Okay, I was just checking your okay. Call me if you need me, I'll be at the restaurant from 11.00am"

"Bye"

Monica felt relieved after speaking to Rachel, she knew that she was okay and deep down she was pleased that she was going to work at least it would take her mind off of it.

The next few days passed and things picked up as normal. Rachel continued to work and put it to the back of her mind while everybody tried to discreetly help her. It was Thursday evening when Phoebe walked into Joey's apartment and caught him on Chandler's laptop. He quickly closed the screen when he saw her.

"Joseph, what are you doing?" She enquired.

"Porn" He lied.

"Don't lie Joey, you never close the screen when you are looking at porn. You show it to everyone!"

He hesitated before telling her "I'm trying to find information on heart disease"

Phoebe looked at him like she would a young child trying to understand something they knew nothing about. They had all secretly researched heart disease over the past few days and all dealt with it in their own way but Joey avoided discussing it and was uncomfortable around Rachel.

"I can hardly understand any of it though – there are so many different types" He told her.

Phoebe shut the lid of the laptop and sat next to Joey.

"What is it you want to know?" She asked him gently.

"Is Rachel going to die?" He softly asked.

Phoebe knew that she needed to be honest with Joey, he wanted the truth and she was going to give it to him.

"It's a possibility".

Joey looked down like he had been crushed.

"Joey, none of us know what is going to happen but Rachel is very sick. She is going to have to go into hospital and she will probably need a big operation. And yeah it's going to be scary seeing her that ill but we need to stay strong for her. I know that you have been avoiding her the past few days but she is still Rachel".

"If I don't see her sick then I don't have to deal with it" Joey said.

"But Rachel had to deal with it. She has to live with this every minute of every day. And you being weird around her only makes her feel worse. You can't catch what she has Joe so the next time you see her give her a big hug and tell her that you love her"

"I don't want her to die Pheebs" Joey said breaking.

Phoebe stood and embraced him. "None of us do Joe and please God she doesn't but we have to be prepared"

After his chat with Phoebe, Joey headed over to Rachel's apartment and spent the

evening with her. They hung out and laughed and joked and it was exactly what Rachel needed to take her mind off the looming doctor's appointment.

The next morning Monica was like a female Hitler. She had been awake since 6.00AM and was wound as tightly as a spring. Chandler tried to calm her down but she wasn't interested so he just let her rant. Phoebe, Joey and Ross also just let her snap at everyone of them as they sat around her table.

"For God Sakes Ross – you can't put the empty milk carton in the garbage?!" She snapped.

"Sorry" He mumbled looking at the others.

"It's not too much to ask is it?! I mean I don't mind you all having breakfast here just obey the rules" She ranted as she wiped down the fridge like a maniac.

"Morning" Rachel said as she walked in dressed casually.

"Morning sweetie" Monica said walking over to her. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I feel good".

"Do you want some coffee?" Chandler asked.

"Are you stupid Chandler?!" Monica snapped as she turned around "She isn't allowed caffeine!"

"Sorry" He mumbled looking at the others.

At 8.30AM Monica grabbed her things including her notebook and pen.

"What's that for?" Rachel asked.

"So I can take notes. I want to remember everything he says" She said Monica-esq.

Rachel just rolled her eyes at the others as they all smiled. Monica led her out of the door and they walked to Rachel's building car park where they got in Rachel's Porsche. Monica drove and Rachel was in the passenger seat.

When they got to the doctors office, they sat in the waiting room. Rachel began to feel nervous and anxious which Monica picked up on.

"It's going to be okay" She reassured her squeezing her hand.

Receptionist: Miss Green – Dr Andrews is ready for you now.

They stood up and headed into his office.

"Rachel, Monica – how are you both?" He greeted.

"We've been better" Monica answered.

"How are you feeling Rachel? Has the medication helped?" Dr Andrews asked her.

"Yeah I guess so. I'm still tired but not as breathless." Rachel stated.

"She's been very nauseous though" Monica continued.

"Okay, if you want to hop on the bed, I'll take a quick listen to your chest."

Rachel did and the doctor placed his stethoscope on her chest listening intently. Monica felt her stomach going over. She didn't know how she would cope if Rachel had to have surgery. After examining her he made her do a few breathing exercises which Monica thought she struggled with.

"Okay Rachel. If you want to take a seat" He offered as he sat back behind his desk.

"Your breathing is very ragged. You need to start thinking about taking it easy. You can't push yourself like you used to. Your heart isn't able to pump enough oxygen through so when you feel tired you need to stop"

Monica scribbled everything he said down and then looked up "What's the prognosis here Dr Andrews? What should we expect?"

"If the medications don't open up her valves to allow more oxygen and blood to pass through we will need to operate. Once the oxygen is flowing normally her heart should reduce in size."

"How and when will we know if the medication is working?" Monica asked still scribbling everything down

"I'm going to book Rachel in for a scan next Thursday. If there is no improvement by then we will have to schedule surgery".

"And then what?" Monica urged

"Rachel will be off her feet for 6-10 weeks and then we take it step by step"

"You mentioned that Rachel could need a heart transplant?"

"Yes that is a possibility. Our last resort but a definite possibility"

"Could you be a bit clearer please Dr Andrews?" Monica asked "Are we talking in a couple of weeks, months, years?"

"At this stage we don't know Monica. If she doesn't respond to the medication or surgery and her heart continues to deteriorate we will need to look at transplant options."

"Okay, so worst case scenario, she doesn't respond to meds or surgery - how long are we talking before you get need a transplant?"

"Monica, lets cross one bridge at a time" He told her.

"I'm sorry but I need to know. Rachel I know that this is about you so if you are uncomfortable you could wait outside?"

"I'm fine, I need to know aswell"

The doctor gave in "Okay worst case scenario is she doesn't respond to meds or surgery then we will need to think about transplants immediately. It could be as soon as a month."

"And how will you know she isn't responding?"

Dr Andrews again hesitated and looked at Rachel to make sure she was okay for him to continue, she nodded and he did so. "Rachel will become much sicker, she won't be able to breath without the aid of an oxygen mask, her movement will become very limited and if we cant find a transplant straight away and her condition deteriorates further we will need to consider putting Rachel on a ventilator until a transplant becomes available."

Monica felt like she wished she hadn't asked. Dr Andrews could see he shocked them both.

"This is worst case scenario though. We are only at step one. You can't worry about transplants at this stage."

"So if the medication works – then what?" Monica asked.

"Then that's great. If we can open the valves through medication and her heart shrinks back to normal size then we just monitor her on a monthly basis. You will need to continue with meds Rachel and we just stay on top of the situation. The same with the surgery. If after 12 weeks you are responding brilliantly we will just monitor you on a monthly basis."

"Okay, so there are options available right now?" Monica said feeling better.

"Fortunately we have caught this earlier, before too many cells have been killed off and her heart is the size of a football. Unfortunately Rachel has an aggressive form of this disease so we need to stay on top of it."

"Well now we can. Thank-you Doctor" Monica said standing up shaking his hand.

"Rachel is there anything you want to ask me?" He questioned as she stood up.

"No, I think Monica covered it all" she smiled as she shook his hand and left.

Once they got in the car Monica spoke.

"I'm feeling confident about this. I have a good feeling that we are going to beat this with just medication."

Rachel just smirked at her.

"What? I think that since Tuesday when you began taking them you have shown a massive improvement" Monica stated.

When they got home the gang were all still at the apartment.

"What are you guys doing here?" Monica asked as she opened the door.

"We wanted to know what happened" Ross said.

"Basically we just have to wait and see if the medication is working. We have to go for a scan on Thursday and if it's all okay then they just keep monitoring her with medication and if not then surgery will be considered"

"So, we just need to pray that the medication works?" Chandler questioned.

"Yeah – exactly." Monica said.

Later that day everyone went back to work including Rachel. Monica typed up her notes. As she typed she begun to cry again, Rachel was sick and medication wasn't going to cure this. Deep down Monica knew that Rachel was worse than she was letting on and the doctor didn't seem convinced when he was examining her.

Monica let all her fears out while Rachel wasn't around, she needed to be strong for Rachel, to let her know that she would take control of this. Chandler had been great, he had been a complete rock. He let her cry, shout and moan at him and all without being angry or annoyed.

The weekend passed and everybody tried to carry on as normal as possible.

On Sunday Monica did dinner for everybody. The doctor had said that Rachel should try and lead a healthy lifestyle, avoiding any fatty foods from her diet so Monica knew where she could shine.

The guys all hung out whilst Phoebe helped with dinner and Rachel did some paperwork for Louis Vuitton.

"Guys dinner is about to be served" Monica called out.

Everybody sat down as Monica helped Rachel dish her dinner up. She overloaded her on vegetables and greens.

"I don't think I'm going to be able to eat all that Mon" She said.

"You can at least try" Monica said.

Once everybody had sat down Ross proposed a toast.

"I just want to say that it's great sitting around this table with you guys, I have my wonderful girlfriend Charlie here and great friends. I know that we don't know what's in store over the next couple of months but Rachel I want you to know that we are all here and everything will be fine. Cheers."

Everyone else: "Cheers / Well said / That was nice"

Okay that's it for now – let me know if you would like me to put the other parts up.

Thanks


	2. I'll be here when you wake up

A/N: Thanks for the kind reviews, glad that you are enjoying this story.

This isn't going to be a Ross / Rach story, I suppose if anything its more of a Mon/Rach friendship story.

Also I used the name Dr Corday as the surgeon just because I couldnt think of one - didnt mean to rip ER off!

Anyway, here's the second part – hope that it's okay.

By Tuesday morning Rachel felt terrible. She had managed to struggle through work on the Monday before going home and collapsing into bed. When she woke on Tuesday she was terribly weak and gasping for breath. Rachel managed to shower and get dressed but she couldn't face work. She used her pump and called Monica.

"Hello?" Monica answered while folding her laundry.

"Hey, it's me." Rachel managed to get out. "Do you think you could come over?"

"What's wrong?" Monica instantly fired back whilst walking to her window.

"I don't feel right." Rachel said.

But before she could finish the sentence Monica had hung up and began running over to Rachel's.

"What's going on?" Chandler quickly asked as Monica dashed past him.

"Rachel isn't well!"

"Shall I come?" He called after her.

"No. I'll call you". She said as she bolted down the stairs.

Monica ran across to Rachel's and jumped straight in the lift pressing the 12th floor button a 100 times.

She burst straight through Rachel's door to find her laying on the couch.

Rachel smiled as she saw her come through like a rocket gasping for breath.

"What's wrong? Shall I call 911?" Monica quickly asked feeling her forehead.

"I… don't think its…. That bad. I can't catch my… breath" Rachel choked out gasping for air.

Monica looked at her and knew this was serious, this was where it began. Rachel was grey with dark circles under her eyes and she was straining for breath without realising.

Monica took out her cell phone and scrolled down for Dr Andrews. She had stored his number in her phone in case of emergencies.

She told him Rachel's symptoms and he suggested that Monica get her to the hospital immediately, offering to arrange for an ambulance to collect her. Monica told him that she would drive her there herself and he would be waiting.

"Sweetie, I need to get you to the hospital." Monica told her.

"Is that necessary?" Rachel gasped out.

"Yes." Monica collected Rachel's medications and put them in a bag and grabbed her keys.

Monica became increasingly concerned in the elevator as she held Rachel up gasping for breath. She slowly led her to the Porsche and got in and drove. On the way to the hospital she called Chandler and explained the situation.

When they reached the hospital, Monica new that Rachel wouldn't be able to walk so found a wheelchair at the reception and helped Rachel into it. She rushed her up to the 5th floor where Dr Andrews was. They helped Rachel onto a bed and he began examining her.

"Let's put her on 100 oxygen re-breather and get her into a gown" Dr Andrews told the nurse.

"What's going on?" Monica asked not bothering to hide her concern

"Her condition is deteriorating. We will get a scan and go from there" He said starting Rachel's chart.

Dr Andrews excused himself and Monica followed.

"How worried should I be right now?" Monica asked him.

"We won't know anything definite until we get the scan results back. Just try and stay calm for her Monica"

When Monica walked back into the room Rachel was in a gown and had a nasal canular around her. Her head was laid back into the pillows.

"Everything okay?" Rachel asked

"Yeah, its fine. Just relax" Monica told her stroking her hair back.

After 10 minutes the nurse helped Rachel into a dressing gown and wheelchair and took her for her scan. As Monica watched Rachel sitting in the wheelchair with the hospital gowns around her and breathing tubes around her face she began to cry. Rachel looked like a sick person. It happened much quicker than Monica had thought. She quickly wiped away her tears before Rachel looked up.

Monica waited outside while Rachel had her scan, the scan lasted 28 minutes and when Rachel came out she was exhausted.

The nurse and Monica took her back to her room where they helped her into bed. She laid back and caught her breath while her eyes were closed.

"Hey, can we come in?"

Monica looked up and saw Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Ross at the doorway.

"Hey Guys" Rachel muttered.

They all looked shocked at her appearance.

"How are you feeling?" Chandler asked breaking the silence.

"I'm okay."

"She's just a bit breathless. She's had a scan we are just waiting for the results. You guys didn't have to come down here" Monica told them.

"Where else would we be?" Phoebe said more as a statement than a question.

Rachel closed her eyes and struggled with her breathing as the guys all stood around. Chandler could see that Monica had been crying and mouthed "Are you okay?" to get a silent nod back.

After about an hour Dr Andrews and another doctor walked into Rachel's room. He was surprised at how full the room was.

"Rach? Dr Andrews is here" Monica said to Rachel lightly trying to wake her up.

As Rachel stirred Dr Andrews asked the guys to step out of the room, he only wanted to speak to Rachel and Monica.

"It's fine. I would rather they heard, save having to repeat it" Rachel said.

Dr Andrews nodded and begun. "Rachel this is Dr. Corday. She is the leading cardiac surgeon here at St. Vincents's"

Dr Corday reached out to shake Rachel's hand.

"So it's definitely surgery then?" Rachel said.

"I'm afraid so Rachel" Dr Corday started. "The disease is much more advanced than we would have liked so we have to operate sooner rather than later. I have scheduled you surgery for 09:00AM tomorrow morning."

"That soon!" Monica spat out.

"I'm afraid so. I'm very confident that after this surgery you will be back on your feet in no time. Have you ever had surgery before Rachel?"

"No"

"Well, it's a complicated surgery but I have every faith that we will get results. After 09:00PM tonight you won't be able to eat or drink anything. Then in the morning the porter will bring you to the OR where we will transfer you to a hard table. The nurse will secure your hands and arms to the table and insert an IV into your neck. After a few seconds you will begin to feel drowsy and fall asleep. Once you are asleep we will insert a tube into your throat and put you on a ventilator. Your breathing will be monitored the whole time and we will begin. I will make a 6-8 inch incision down your chest so that we can spread your ribs."

"You know, I really don't need to know the details. I'll just trust you" Rachel said feeling more nervous with every word that came out of her mouth.

"Okay. But if you have any questions or worries then please ask. I'll see you in the morning" Dr Corday said before leaving with Dr Andrews.

The guys all came up to her bed.

"Are you okay?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah, I am. I just have to go with it I guess, I don't really have much choice" Rachel said sounding as if she had made peace with her fate.

"Er, I just need to use the bathroom" Monica said making an excuse to get out of the room.

"There's a bathroom right here" Joey pointed out.

But Monica was gone, she got out of the hallway and sobbed. She couldn't handle the fact that her best friend was about to have major heart surgery. She dropped to her knees and sobbed, she was only brought out of her state when she felt a hand on her back and shoulders pulling her up. Chandler pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Make this not happen Chandler!" she sobbed into him.

"I can't do that honey. It is going to happen, much sooner than we thought but it's here and we have to deal with it."

"When did you become the strong one?" Monica laughed wiping her eyes.

"I think you have been rubbing off on me" Chandler smiled.

"Thank-you for being here" Monica said hugging him.

"We should get back to her" Chandler said.

"I'm going to let my eyes and redness go down. I don't want her to know that I'm crying."

"Okay, I'll tell her you are on the phone to the restaurant"

When Chandler walked back into the room everybody looked at him silently.

"Is she okay?" Rachel asked

"Yeah, she's just calling in to work" Chandler lied.

"I know she's upset Chandler" Rachel told him

"She just doesn't want to upset you further. She's fine I promise". Chandler said.

After a few minutes Rachel realised that she hadn't told work.

"I should call in" Rachel said.

"I thought you were the boss?" Joey chimed in.

"I am but I should tell them that I'm not going to be there" Rachel said.

The gang all left the room whilst Rachel called in. She explained to Karen where she was and what was happening. Karen was very sympathetic and said she wished Rachel had told her sooner. Rachel said that as soon as she was up to it she would do paperwork from home but Karen told her to take all the time she needed to fully recover and she would visit her as soon as she was allowed.

After 20 minutes the gang, including Monica came back into her room.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked her concerned.

"I'm fine sweetie" Monica said masking her fears and worries.

After sitting in her room for 6 hours straight Rachel told everybody to go home.

"That's nice! We're trying to keep you company" Phoebe joked. "Maybe tomorrow I will bring my guitar?"

"Open heart surgery doesn't sound so bad after all" Rachel joked.

Everybody said goodbye to Rachel and Monica.

"Mon, please go home" Rachel pleaded.

"You don't want me to stay?" Monica asked

"I'm just going to crash out, go home with Chandler and I'll see you in the morning"

"Are you sure?" Monica asked.

"100"

"I'll see you in the morning. Call me if you need me" Monica said kissing her goodbye.

Once they all left Rachel felt alone. Her thoughts overwhelmed her and she panicked. She took some time and got her head around what was happening, she could either go along relaxed or go along panicked and scared – either way her fate was out of her hands. Rachel was pulled out of her thoughts when the nurse entered and gave Rachel a special soap.

"Okay dear. I need you to wash with this and make sure you smother your chest with it. Do you need help showering?"

"No, I'll be fine" Rachel replied.

Rachel removed the oxygen prongs and got up and headed to the shower. She washed thoroughly, including her hair and gagged at the smell of the soap. Once she was dry she put a fresh hospital gown on. It was a gown that did up from the front so she wasn't showing her arse. She blow dried her hair and felt exhausted once she was finished. She got back into bed and put the nasal canular on.

As she was nodding off the nurse re-entered with her trolley.

"I need to set you up with an IV honey" she told her.

She took Rachel's right arm and began tapping for a vein. After a minute she inserted the needle. Rachel flinched a little when she felt the prick.

Rachel fell asleep soon after the nurse had finished but woke at 3:00AM in a deep sweat. Her mind was racing and she was unable to go back to sleep.

At 5.50AM Monica showered and dressed and grabbed Rachel's bag which she had packed at her apartment the night before.

"What are you doing?" Chandler asked bleary-eyed.

"I'm going to go to the hospital. There's no point sitting waiting until 7.00AM, I might as well go now."

"Monica they won't let you in. Rachel will be sleeping and they won't want you to disturb her. They told us that we can see her at 8.00AM"

"I can sit with her" Monica said defiantly.

"No you can't, they will be getting her ready for surgery. You will be sitting with her for the next few weeks. Just chill out" Chandler said calmly.

Monica pulled a face and relented, she knew that Chandler was right. By 7.15AM Monica was climbing the walls. The guys were all at her apartment having coffee.

"Can we leave please?" Monica said

"We're not allowed to see her until 8.00" Ross told her

"There might be traffic. I would rather be there than not"

"It's a 15 minute drive Monica at rush hour" Phoebe told her.

At 7.30 the guys finally gave in and left. Monica and Chandler went in Rachel's Porsche while Phoebe drove Joey and Ross in her cab.

When they reached Rachel's ward at 7:42 the charge nurse asked them to wait while the nurse finished with Rachel.

"Is everything okay?" Monica asked concerned.

"Yes of course, she had a good night. The nurse is just cleaning her up for surgery"

After a few minutes the nurse left Rachel's room with her trolley and Monica and co were allowed in.

"Hi Sweetie" Monica greeted, coming over to hug and kiss her.

"You smell like disinfectant" Monica told her.

"They keep washing me in it!" Rachel said disgusted.

"You can wash people in disinfectant?!" Monica said excited.

An hour passed and everybody grew more nervous. Dr Andrews arrived with a hospital porter closely behind him.

"Okay Rachel, are you ready?" He asked.

"Yeah I'm good" Rachel replied calmly.

Monica stood back from her and began to cry, she had been holding them in but she couldn't stop the tears from falling. Phoebe put an arm around her.

Rachel moved onto the Porters bed as Dr Andrews transferred her oxygen canister.

"I'll see you guys later" Rachel said.

They all grabbed for her hand and wished her luck sending their love. Monica composed herself and walked forward.

"You're going to be fine. I'll be here when you wake up. I love you ok?"

"I love you too"

Monica kissed her and held her close.

The porter wheeled Rachel away and Monica cried. She just let the tears stream from her face as her friend was taken to surgery. Ross looked away as Phoebe and Joey both cried next to him.

Rachel was taken to a waiting area on the surgical floor. There was another woman there waiting. The nurse put Rachel's hair into a blue shower cap type thing and left.

"What you having done?" the woman asked Rachel

"Heart surgery – you?"

"Appendix removed. Its minor compared to yours I guess."

After 5 minutes a nurse came and took Rachel into the OR. It felt icy cold in there and very bright. They helped Rachel move to the table and it was cold and hard as Dr Corday had described.

"Rachel we are going to secure your arms to the table?" A Nurse said as she begun putting soft restraints on her.

Rachel looked around when she heard a drill and she felt sick.

"Just stay calm sweetie" The nurse reassured her.

Rachel felt the nurse rub a small sponge onto her neck.

"I'm going to insert an IV, you may feel a small sting" The nurse told her.

Once the IV was in the nurse injected something into the port.

"Rachel, you are going to start feeling sleepy. Just relax and let the medication take over"

Rachel felt like her world of problems were being left behind. She was fighting to stay awake but the feeling of drowsiness was overpowering her.

"She's out" The nurse said.

"Okay, let's intubate and get her on the ventilator" the anaesthetist said.

Meanwhile Monica sat fidgeting in the canteen with the others.

"Are you sure you don't want any breakfast Mon?" Ross asked.

"I couldn't eat. They should have drilled her chest open by now" Monica said looking at her watch.

"How do you know?" Phoebe asked.

"I did a tutorial on my computer, I have every step in my head. They drill her chest open and spread her ribs. Then they attach tubes to her heart and put her on a bypass machine which beats for her heart. They then stop her heart and begin repairing it. The surgery should last from 3-5 hours" Monica said reciting what she has seen and read.

"You really shouldn't work from that. Just try and forget about it for a minute" Chandler said trying to help her.

"Forget about it?" Monica snapped "My best friend is laying in a room upstairs with her chest cut open and her heart not beating! What happens if after the 5 hours they can't start her heart again? Then what? You can't live without your heart!" Monica spat

"Chandler, didn't mean…." Phoebe started.

"I know he didn't and I'm sorry" Monica cut in. "I just need to deal with this in my own way. Please"

The guys all waited in the surgical waiting area and after 5 hours Monica became even more anxious than she was already.

"The computer said 3-5 hours. It's been 5 hours" Monica said to nobody in particular.

After 15 more minutes Monica walked out of the room and found a member of staff.

"Is there any news on Rachel Green?" She asked a nurse.

"She isn't out from theatre yet" The nurse told her.

"The surgery was supposed to last 3-5 hours. It's been almost 6!"

A voice from behind startled her "There was more damage than we thought Monica. Dr Corday has had to cut into her heart" Dr Andrews said.

"Is she finished now?" Monica asked.

"Not yet, they are about to take her off of bypass and then close her chest. Everything is fine, it's just a little worse than we anticipated"

"So do you think a transplant is going to be needed?" Monica questioned.

"Let's see how she recovers and responds to her medication. Her recovery will be a little slower due to the cutting into the heart but that's it. Give her about 40 minutes and she will be in the ICU" Dr Andrews told her winking at her.

Monica went back and relayed the information to the guys. 40 minutes later Monica and co were standing in the reception when she saw Dr Crorday wheel a gurney out of the double doors. She quickly made her way to the rolling gurney.

Rachel looked dreadful. She had the shower cap over her head and the face was pale with sticky tape over her eyelids. Dr Corday was squeezing the oxygen pump attached to the tube in her mouth.

Monica could see tubes coming from under the covers and bags and cylinders attached to the side of the bed.

The situation was a million times worse than she had imagined it.

"She's okay. Let me just get her set up in the SICU and I will come and talk to you" Dr Corday told her.

15 minutes later Dr Corday came back. She explained that there was more damage than expected but she repaired it. She was confident that as long as Rachel responded well to the drugs then she wouldn't need a transplant. A healthy, stress-free lifestyle would help aswell.

"Can I sit with her?" Monica asked through tears.

"Of Course. While she is out I can only allow two at a time though. She will be intubated for the next 24 hours and we should expect her to regain consciousness in the next few hours. She will be groggy and frustrated at not being able to speak so just encourage her along and let her know that you are there with her." Dr Corday instructed.

Monica washed her hands with the disinfectant and walked into the surgical intensive care unit. There were machines and monitors surrounding her. She had a breathing tube coming from her mouth and many more tubes and wires attached to her.

Monica pulled up a seat and held her hand.

"I told you that you would be fine. I'm here when you wake up sweetie." Monica whispered to her.

**Okay – that's it again! I still have a little bit more which I'll try and put up in the next couple of days.**

**Hope you enjoyed it!**


	3. I can't do this

Thanks so much for all your kind reviews.

This is all I have left of this story and to be honest I dont really know where to go with it after this chapter!! I don't want to drag it out and it becomes totally boring. So consider this as now complete unless anybody can give me any ideas or I suddenly activate my slow brain!

Four hours later and Monica was yet to leave her side. The others were coming in in shifts keeping Monica company and watching over Rachel.

Monica jumped when she noticed Rachel's eyes flickering. She quickly alerted the nurse who checked over her vitals.

"I'm here sweetie. Everything went so well" Monica told her standing over her softly stroking her face.

Rachel looked relieved that Monica was there and closed her eyes again. She was unaware of what was happening or what had happened. She was just so tired, all she wanted to do was sleep. Monica smiled at her as Rachel drifted back into a deep slumber.

When Rachel opened her eyes an hour later she seemed more alert. She squeezed Monica's hand and felt for the tube in her mouth.

"That's your breathing tube honey, it will come out a bit later" Monica told her.

Rachel seemed quite agitated but Monica reassured her that everything was fine and she should just rest and sleep.

Dr Corday walked in a little bit later and checked over Rachel.

"Everything looks good. All you can do now is rest" Dr Corday told her.

Rachel again put her hand to the breathing tube, indicating that she wanted it out.

"If your breathing is stable in the morning then we will take it out then. The Nurse will decrease the oxygen flow throughout the night and see how you respond. Its operating at 80 per cent now, if it's down to 20 per cent in the morning and your breathing is stable I'll remove it"

Dr Corday excused herself as Rachel closed her eyes. Her movement was almost completely restricted. Her chest was wrapped up in bandages and she couldn't move her head because of the intubation, she was also irritated by a tube coming out of her nose which she kept feeling.

Rachel was pulled out of her thoughts when Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Ross walked in.

"How are you feeling?" Phoebe softly whispered.

Rachel answered by giving a thumbs up.

"She's doing well. Hopefully the tube can come out in the morning." Monica answered.

"Are you in any pain?" Ross asked

Rachel tried to slowly shake her head to tell them no.

"She's morphined up to the eyeballs so she can't feel anything right now. They said they will start decreasing that tomorrow – so the pain will kick in then" Monica said whispering the last part.

Rachel hated being the invalid, she hated the fact that she couldn't participate in the conversation. Rachel's eyes flickered as she fought to keep them open but the drowsiness was too strong and she had no choice but to give in.

As Rachel slept the guys all went home while Monica spent the night sleeping in the chair next to Rachel. The nurse had to put Rachel in soft restraints because she kept grabbing at her chest and they were worried that she would hurt herself.

Rachel woke a few times throughout the night, starting to feel uncomfortable and irritated and the lack of movement she had. But Monica and the nurse were quick to comfort her and get her back to sleep.

Once morning arrived Dr Corday removed the breathing tube and Rachel felt much better. It hurt to breathe but at least she could talk. Once the doctors had talked through everything and examined her Monica was free to check how she was.

"How are you feeling?" She asked softly.

"Terrible. I don't feel like me, it's a strange feeling." Rachel said weakly and honestly.

"You just need to rest" Monica told her.

Rachel was still drowsy and slept most of the day which the nurse said was very normal. The tubes that they placed in her stomach were removed but she still had the chest tube and nose tube. Dr Corday told Monica that she wanted to keep Rachel in the SICU for another 24 hours of monitoring. There was blood coming from her chest tube and they needed to monitor it to rule out internal bleeding.

By 5.00PM on the Friday (48 hours after Rachel came out of surgery) she was getting frustrated. They had decreased her morphine so the pain was almost unbearable and every time she moved in the slightest the pain rocketed throughout her entire body. She would constantly touch her chest, which was still heavily bandaged and feeling the tube coming from her nose which was driving her mad.

"Can this come out?" Rachel asked feeling the tube.

"I'm afraid not Rachel that's your feeding tube and it's going to need to stay in place for a few days" the nurse told her.

"It's called an NG tube" Monica told Rachel

"Would you stop – you're freaking me out" Rachel told her jokingly.

"She's freaking us all out" Phoebe chimed in.

"I think that maybe I missed my calling, I should have become a doctor" Monica said in excited.

"Wow, how proud would mom and dad be having two doctors in the family" Ross deadpanned.

"You're a doctor?" The nurse asked him while filling in Rachel's chart.

"Well yes I am" Ross said in a posh voice.

"What do you practice?" The nurse asked interested.

"Dinosaurs!" Joey answered for him.

The nurse looked confused.

"I'm a Doctor of palaeontology." Ross tried to back track

"So you can't actually practice medicine?"

"Not exactly" Ross mumbled embarrassed.

A couple of hours later the guys were preparing to go home while Monica was outside in the bathroom.

"Chandler" Rachel whispered

"Are you okay?" He asked coming closer to her.

"Do me a favour and take Monica home. She looks exhausted." Rachel struggled out.

"She wants to stay with you Rach"

"I know, but she can't sleep in that chair for another night" Rachel said

"What's going on?" Monica asked as she walked back into the ICU.

"I think you should go home. You look terrible" Rachel softly told her.

"I'm fine Rach"

"Monica, I'm going to be fine tonight. I would rather you were rested now and when I need you to help me around you will be there."

After some convincing from the others Monica relented and went home. Rachel got a pretty good nights sleep, she woke a few times but the nurse was quick to fill any needs she had.

Monica turned up early the next morning and she did feel better. Dr Corday did her rounds and allowed for Rachel to be moved from the ICU to a room on the cardiac floor.

Rachel was moved and she felt better in her own room. She had a TV and didn't have the nurse checking her and pulling her about every 5 minutes. She was settled in the room for about an hour watching rubbish TV with Monica when 2 nurses entered.

"This can't be good" Rachel muttered to Monica

"It's time to get you sitting up in a chair" The middle aged lady nurse said.

The two nurses moved Rachel around so her legs were off the bed. She became very light-headed but the nurse reassured her that was normal and just to take a second to compose herself. Monica hovered unsure whether to help or not, the nurses quickly lifted her onto her feet and led her to the soft high back leather chair next to the bed. By the time Rachel sat down she was totally breathless and exhausted.

"Just going to let you sit here for 5 minutes" The nurse said checking her NG tube and nasal prongs.

"Are you comfortable?" Monica questioned

"Not…. Really" Rachel said between breaths

After 5 minutes Rachel was exhausted and the nurses helped her back into bed. Once she was in she collapsed against the pillows.

"Is that normal?" Monica asked the nurse concerned.

"Yes very normal, it will take time. Tomorrow we will get her up walking" The nurse said adjusting Rachel's covers.

An hour later Rachel opened her eyes still tired from just sitting in the chair.

"Can I get you anything?" Monica quickly asked.

"A drink would be good please" Rachel asked with a scratchy throat.

Monica opened the mini-fridge and took out one of the fruit juices she had brought in for Rachel. She put the straw in it and helped Rachel to drink it.

"That better?" Monica asked as she put the drink on the side.

"Thanks. It's been a busy day what with sitting in a chair and all" Rachel smiled.

"That will get better Rach"

When the next day came Rachel was happy spending the morning with Monica and Phoebe playing cards. However, they were interrupted when the Nurses lived up to their promise and got Rachel up and walking. They assisted her on either side while a third nurse walked behind with her IV pole and Monica and Phoebe followed with a wheelchair.

Rachel was shocked at how hard she found it to take just a few steps.

"Just a couple more Rachel and then we will turn around" The kind nurse told her after 6 steps.

Rachel managed a couple more steps but couldn't go any further.

"I'm…. sorry… I…. just… can't" Rachel tried to choke out.

"Okay, let's get the wheelchair" The nurse agreed indicating for Monica to come closer.

When Rachel was settled back into bed she turned to Monica and Phoebe still breathless and exhausted.

"I can't… do this" She said between gasps

"Yes you can. You are doing great" Phoebe told her enthusiastically

Rachel shook her head in defeat.

"Nobody said this was going to be easy Rachel, but there is no turning back. You are going to get better and no matter how long it takes you will be back to full strength. You cant give up now." Monica told her firmly.

"I hate this" Rachel whispered

"I know you do but only you can get yourself better."

Monica hated being hard on Rachel especially when she was so ill but she needed Rachel to be strong.

The next few days passed and Rachel was getting a little bit stronger with each passing day. She was now able to take steps on her own (with the aid of a walker) so the doctors decided to remove her foley catheter so she could use the bathroom as and when needed.

After 10 days of being in the hospital it was decided that Rachel could go home. Monica almost went into breakdown mode, running around disinfecting the apartment and making up the guest room for Rachel before she picked her up that afternoon.

"Monica, would you calm down. She's just going to crash out. She won't care if the skirting behind the back of the wardrobe is clean" Chandler told her as she knelt on the floor in her rubber gloves and bucket of disinfectant.

"She's just had major heart surgery Chandler! Her immune system is weak, if she gets so much as a cold it could kill her!" Monica fired back.

By 2.30pm Monica had to relent, the apartment was gleaming by anybody else's standards but Monica wasn't overly happy but she had to pick up Rachel.

When Monica arrived at the hospital Rachel was sitting in the chair next to the bed. She still looked terrible, the Nike tracksuit bottoms were hanging off of her as was the red Nike t-shirt she had on.

"All ready to go?" Monica smiled as she walked into the room.

"Pretty much"

"Did you pack this?" Monica asked referring to the louis vuitton travel bag on the bed.

"No, the nurse did. Can you just check around to make sure everything is in" Rachel asked slowly still sounding breathless

Monica went into the bathroom and checked that Rachel had cleared everything, along with the small cupboards and fridge.

"She's done a great job" Monica said like an army inspector.

"Okay, all ready to go?" the nurse asked walking into the room pushing a wheelchair.

"Yeah, we think so" Rachel said trying to start standing.

Monica helped her by the arm, grabbing the Nike jacket from the bed and helping Rachel put it on. Once the jacket was on and zipped up Monica helped Rachel ease into the chair.

She was expecting an argument from Rachel on why she didn't need a wheel chair but Rachel seemed pleased to have it to hand.

"Have you signed the charts Rachel" The nurse asked.

"They are on the bed"

"Okay, you're all set. Do you need some help to get down to the car?"

"No, I'm good." Monica smiled grabbing the Louis Vuitton holder from the bed.

Rachel and Monica thanked the nurse and left. Monica pushed Rachel down to the waiting Porsche. Monica helped Rachel into the passenger side of the Porsche and then folded the wheelchair into the small back.

"How's it feel to be out?" Monica smiled as she started the engine.

"Good. Just have to wait and see if I need to do it all again"

Monica had tried her hardest to put her worst fears to the back of her mind just concentrating on Rachel's recovery.

As Monica drove out of the hospital Rachel gasped in pain as she went over the speed bumps.

"Sorry" Monica said driving as slowly as possible over the numerous speed restrictors.

"What a stupid place to have bumps when people have just had surgery!" Monica moaned.

Once they got outside of the apartment Monica set the wheelchair up and helped Rachel out of the car. Monica had gotten the key for the industrial elevator from Treager so that Rachel wouldn't be bothered with the stairs.

As they opened the door to the apartment Chandler, Ross, Phoebe, Joey, Charley and Mike all screamed SURPRISE causing both Monica and Rachel to jump.

"Oh My God! Do you think that is clever?! Monica screamed.

"It's a welcome home party" Joey smiled

"Is that a wise idea for somebody who has just had heart surgery?" Monica glared at them all.

"Monica, I'm fine" Rachel told her standing up from the chair.

Monica quickly relented and walked behind Rachel to balance her out. Rachel lasted about 20 minutes with the group until she became exhausted. Monica noticed having kept a hawk-eye on her the entire time.

"Okay guys, that's enough for today. Rachel is shattered and needs to rest. You can all come and visit again tomorrow." Monica interrupted.

"Oh" Joey and Phoebe replied in unison

"She's had an exhausting journey home and now this, it's all too much."

The guys all got up to leave kissing her goodbye and wishing her luck with the 'evil nurse lady'

"Do you want me to help you to the bedroom?" Monica asked her

"Can I just crash on your sofa for a while?" Rachel asked

Monica smiled and helped Rachel over to the sofa, where she laid down. Monica put the TV on and placed the blanket over her.

"Can I get you anything?" Monica asked softly stroking her hair as Rachel fought to stay awake.

Rachel just shook her head as she let the sleep overpower her and she succumbed to darkness.

As Rachel slept Monica began to prepare dinner whilst Chandler sat reading at the kitchen table.

"I think maybe I will go and live with Joey for a while" Chandler said without looking up from his paper

"What?" Monica asked confused turning around from the kitchen sink

"I just think that Rachel needs your undivided attention right now and if I'm here then I will compromise that"

"Are you jealous?" Monica fired back at him.

"I just think that this apartment is too small for the three of us"

"Why don't we just throw Rachel out then?" Monica hissed "Yeah, just throw her and her stuff onto the street"

"She has a luxury apartment actually, nicer and bigger than all of ours put together" Chandler muttered

Monica couldn't believe what she was hearing, she knew that she had neglected Chandler a little bit lately but Rachel was her best friend and she needed her.

"Okay fine, I'll take her to her place… and I'll move in with her" Monica shot back.

"There's no need for that Monica"

"Actually Chandler there is every need for it. You see she is incredibly sick, she has a 12 inch scar down her chest, she cant walk 10 steps without becoming out of breath and dizzy. She needs looking after"

"And I understand that"

"End of conversation" Monica told him walking away into her bedroom.

Monica was furious at Chandler's behaviour, how could he not understand that Rachel was her main priority right now?

Meanwhile Chandler was across the hall talking with Joey.

"It just got totally out of hand"

"Are you jealous of Rachel man?" Joey asked

"Of course not! I just miss my wife"

"Rachel isn't going to be sick forever you know. A few days and she will probably be back at home" Joey told him sipping his beer.

Chandler felt like an arsehole, the last thing he wanted was to upset everyone and be jealous of Rachel who was gravely ill.

"So what are you going to do?" Joey asked

"Apologise. Let my wife know that I love her very much and that I think what she is doing for Rachel is incredible"

As Chandler was talking over his problems with Joey, Rachel was stirring on the couch.

"Hey, dinner is almost ready" Monica told her from the armchair.

"It smells great" Rachel replied sleepily

Rachel looked at Monica and she looked sad, like something was weighing on her mind.

"Everything okay?" Rachel asked

"Yeah it's fine" Monica lightly smiled

"Come on, what's wrong?" Rachel pushed

"Nothing for you to worry about" Monica said getting up.

"Okay, I get it – I'm too sick to know" Rachel said picking the remote up

"It's not that"

"It's fine Mon"

Rachel had a way of guilt tripping Monica

"Chandler and I had an argument" Monica blurted out feeling guilty for not telling Rachel

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. It wasn't anything serious I just don't like arguing with him"

"What was the argument about?" Rachel pushed

"I don't even know – we were just bickering"

Rachel knew that Monica was lying so suspected the argument was over the time Monica was spending with her.

"Does he want his wife back?" Rachel questioned

"He's just having a bad day. It's not about you"

"Look, I don't want this stupid heart condition to mess up your life as much as it has mine. Let me go and stay at my own place…."

"That won't be necessary Rach" Monica and Rachel both turned to see Chandler standing at the door with a big bouquet in his hand.

"I was a jerk earlier and it meant nothing. I'm glad that you are here and I'm looking forward to waiting on you hand and foot" Chandler told Rachel

"Why thanks Chandler" Rachel said trying to ease Monica's mood "But you didn't have to buy me flowers" She joked knowing full well they were for Monica

"Actually I didn't – they're for my gorgeous wife"

Rachel smiled as Monica and Chandler kissed.

Rachel, Monica and Chandler hung out all night eating dinner and watching a film. But Rachel had to give up half way through surrendering to bed.

Once Monica had helped Rachel into bed and watched her drift off into a deep sleep she returned to the living room where Chandler was waiting.

"She asleep?" Chandler asked

"Yeah like a baby" Monica said as she sat down on his lap

"Chandler?" Monica asked deep in thought

"Yeah?"

"She is going to be okay isn't she?"

"Of course she is Monica" Chandler told her sincerely

"How do you know?" Monica continued looking for reassurance

"A couple of reasons. One because she is Rachel and we all know what a fighter she is. And secondly because she has you looking after her, the best care in the God damn world and you never fail at anything"

"True!" Monica beamed

Monica and Chandler kissed passionately, Chandler was embarrassed at his small outburst earlier. He loved Monica more than anything in the world and he would do anything not to mess it up.

"Let's go to bed" Monica told him seductively

Chandler smiled as he took Monica's hand and she led him to the bedroom.

**Okay - that's it folks!**

**Having just read this I do need to finish it properly so bare with me and I'll try and complete within the next couple of weeks.**


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